The Asante Bekwai Circuit Court has sentenced three fugitive armed robbers to 20 years’ imprisonment each, in hard labour, for robbing some commuters on the Jacobu-Anwiankwanta road.
Peter Boadi, alias Kwao Zizzy, driver, Daniel Kwaku Owusu, farmer and Eric Kwaku Danso, self-employed, all in their twenties, robbed the victims, including two Chinese, of their valuables.
The victims; Joseph Eghan, securityman, Joseph Boadu, Low bed driver, and the two Chinese were robbed of two iPhone 12 Pro Max valued GHC10,000.00 as well as GHC37,000.00.
The three were tracked and arrested through intelligence-led operations between June and September, 2024.
They pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit crime to wit robbery and robbery but were found culpable after the trial.
Inspector of Police, Eric Okyere, giving the facts, told the court, presided over by Mr Isaac Apiatu, that the convicts, on April 29, 2024, at about 2300 hours, attacked the victims at the Fiankoma Bene-ne Bene Forest, near Jacobu with firearms and robbed them of two iPhones and GH₵7,000.00 cash.
They forced two other victims; the Chinese, to transfer GH₵30,000.00 via mobile money to an account belonging to another person.
Inspector Okyere said the complainants were Eghan and Boadu, residents of Anwiankwanta.
He said Boadi, 27, was the elder brother to Owusu and on April 29, 2024, at about 2300 hours, the second complainant was in charge of a Low bed loaded with an excavator form Bene Ne Bene Forest near Jacobu to Anwiankwanta with Eghan, the first complainant, and two other Chinese on board.
On reaching a section of the road at Fiankoma, also near Jacobu, the convicts wielding pump action gun and a pistol attacked and robbed the complainants of cash of GHC7,000.00 and IPhone 12 pro max valued GHC 10,000.00.
The gang, Inspector Okyere said, was not satisfied with the money they took and demanded for more by threatening to kill the victims if they did not comply.
The complainants then made calls and an amount of GHC 30,000.00 was transferred from a known mobile money merchant to another contact number (witness in the trial) which was given by Boadi.
The gang then released the victims and escaped through the bush.
On May 1, 2024, the complainants made a report to the police at Jacobu and the matter was subsequently referred to the Regional Headquarters at Bekwai for further investigations.
Inspector Okyere said on June 15, 2024, through Intelligence, the witness was tracked to her location at Obuasi and she was arrested for investigations.
She informed the police that Boadi was her former boyfriend and that she was home when she got an alert of GHC 30,000.00 on her Phone.
Shortly, Boadi called to inform her that it was some payment for all the members of the gang for some work they did. Later, the gang went to her for the money, which she withdrew for them.
The robbers gave her GHC700.00 afterwards.
Through intelligence-led operations, police tracked and arrested the suspects between June and September 2024.
A search on Peter Boadi’s residence in Obuasi Bogobiri led to the retrieval of one foreign Bruna pistol, one locally manufactured pistol, and ammunition, all secured as evidence.
